SCOTT Mitchell insists “I could be the underdog” when he faces teenage debutant Leighton Bennett at this year’s BDO World Championship.

Former winner of the event and ninth seed Mitchell faces highly-rated youngster Bennett in one of the stand-out ties of the second round at Indigo at The O2 Arena in London tomorrow.

And the Dorset ace is taking nothing for granted against the 14-year-old.

Mitchell told the Daily Echo: “It’s an amazing achievement for him and he’s more than earned his place. He hasn’t been hand picked, he hasn’t played a one-off game to get there, he’s played the full season and played that well for the full season, he’s made it through the rankings.

“That’s very different to how sometimes the younger players make it so he’s the real deal, everybody knows that.

“I’m expecting people to want to be cheering Leighton and not wanting me to win. I get that. I understand that. That’s the way it will work.

“Everybody will have me down as the favourite but I’m not quite so sure. I think I could be the underdog for this one.

“Leighton’s a pretty much full-time dart player. He’s home schooled and practices in afternoons from what I can gather. They know he’s a special talent.

“His sponsors know that he has a special talent and they’re backing this talent with their ideas and obviously their sponsorship. It’s going to be an unbelievably difficult game, not least of all it’s the fact that he’s really good.

“He’s not going to go away. He’s going to hang in there and hang in there and I’m going to have to do special things to break him.”

And Mitchell also insists he doesn’t mind if the fans are against him when he plays the youngster.

He said: “I think you try to approach that you play the board not the player and it doesn’t matter whether Fallon (Sherrock) is stood there throwing or Mikuru (Suzuki) is throwing or Leighton’s throwing, you’ve got to go and play your own game at the end of the day. If you don’t you’ll get had, it’s as simple as that.”

However, Mitchell remains confident if he can overcome Bennett, he can become a two-time world champion having won the event in 2015, especially with Glen Durrant, winner of this tournament in the last three years, no longer competing in the BDO.

He said: “I think I can go and win it, without a doubt. I wouldn’t be going if I didn’t think I could go and win it.

“I have the experience to win it, but it’s all about having that bit of luck on the day and not letting certain situations get to you on the day and if you can manage to do that then you’re going to be there at the end with a shout.

“I think it’s more open than it’s ever been before without Glen in it. Last couple of years it’s always been who can beat Glen. Now that he’s gone, I think there’s a few of us who all fancy it.”